A New Life to Live
by Arch of Wand
Summary: This story is about Taylor Johnson, who moves to Oklahoma from New York City. Her pasts still bothers her but the gang can help! Takes place a year before the book. My first FanFic! *COMPLETED* Please R&R!
1. Meeting

This is my first FanFic so I'm sure it sucks but thanks for reading it anyway. Special thanks to Kathryn Randle for convincing me to put this story up.  
  
Oh! Soda is still in school at this point just to clear things up.  
  
Disclaimer- I own Taylor, her parents, and Mr. Vector  
  
All others are S.E Hinton's so don't sue me!  
  
Chapter 1  
  
It was a normal day in school, nothing special. There was nothing that seemed to change this day from all the others that went by. Still, Sodapop had to admit, there seemed to be something different about that day. Soda walked through the empty halls, on his way to the office. He was sent there by his English teacher, for disrupting the class. It wasn't his fault, when the teacher had asked him to read aloud he just wanted to put a little enthusiasm into it. Okay, maybe he didn't need to stand up on the desk yelling at the top of his lungs, screaming the words of the book, but he didn't think he should get into trouble. He opened the door to the assistant principal's office. His secretary did not seem surprised to see him.  
  
"Sodapop not again? Alright, have a seat."  
  
Soda took a seat near the wall. An open backpack was next to the chair, and Soda figured that someone must be in the office. He heard Mr. Vector, the assistant principal yelling from inside the office.  
  
"Never in all my years teaching-"  
  
"I told you before, I wasn't smoking!" Soda was surprised to hear that the voice sounded like a girl.  
  
" It's your first week of school and you're already in trouble. Rest assured I will contact your parents about this."  
  
"And I care? They don't."  
  
"DETENTION!" Mr. Vector yelled, "You need to learn to show respect."  
  
A minute later, the door opened. Soda expected to see a drabby girl come out but was surprised to see that this girl was well, pretty. There was no other word to describe her. Her chestnut brown hair fell down past her shoulders and the top half was pulled up in a clip. Her clothes were not too tight or too showy and her soft brown eyes, despite her anger, held a beauty that Soda couldn't describe. She looked about his age or a little younger.  
  
"Curtis," Mr. Vector said, nearly trembling with rage, "Please escort this young lady to her next class."  
  
Surprised, Soda nodded. He bent down to pick up the girl's backpack but she scooped it up before he had a chance.  
  
They walked out into the hall, Soda decided that since she was new he would try and be friendly.  
  
"So what's your name?" he asked cheerfully.  
  
"Go away," she told him, so much for friendly conversation. Soda wasn't going to give up.  
  
"That's an original name. I have an original name too. I'm Sodapop Curtis." He extended a hand, but she didn't shake it.  
  
"That is an original name," she agreed. Well he was getting somewhere.  
  
" So you're new here? Where'd you move here from?"  
  
"New York City"  
  
"Hey my friend Dallas Winston is from New York City. Do you know him?"  
  
A spark lit in her eyes but she quickly covered it up.  
  
"You expect me to know everyone in New York?'  
  
Soda was taken aback by her rudeness. Otherwise he wouldn't have said what he did.  
  
"I heard you got caught smoking"  
  
She turned to face him, "Do you believe everything you hear?"  
  
"I don't believe your name is 'Go away'," he said simply. A hint of a smile began at the corners of her lips. She looked into his eyes, seeing if he could be trusted.  
  
"I'm Taylor Johnson," she said slowly.  
  
"So how come you moved here?"  
  
"You're never shy are you?" she pointed out.  
  
"Nope," he said, smiling. Slowly, she smiled too. The smile lit up her face, making Soda's insides burn with happiness.  
  
"My dad's job got him moved here," She told him.  
  
"So do you know your way around town and stuff?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
" I was just gonna offer to show you around town," he said quickly, afraid he'd offended her. Her bright eyes turned grave.  
  
"I can find my own way," she told him.  
  
"Okay, well here's your class. So I'll see you around?"  
  
"Looks like it," Taylor said before disappearing into the classroom.  
  
Okay I know that was short but I haven't gotten totally into it yet. Please Review! 


	2. Anger

Okay this chapter is also kinda short but the next one will be longer.  
  
You people know who's mine and who's not, if you haven't read about them in the book, then they're mine. Thanks again to Kathryn Randle!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Dad I'm home! Mom? Is anyone here?" Taylor called to the empty house.  
  
Just then, Taylor's mother appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Hi honey, how was school?"  
  
"Great, I got detention," she said dryly.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Long story."  
  
"Well go upstairs and do your homework, your father's sleeping." Taylor slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the stairs. She hated this new house; maybe it was the coziness of it. She was used to the New York City apartment building. Taylor opened the door to her room, which was full of unpacked boxes. She hadn't bothered to take much of her stuff out, she wasn't sure why but she didn't have the heart. It was like she would be happy in Oklahoma if she unpacked, but she wasn't. She sat down on her bed and opened up her backpack. An envelope sat on top of her books. She picked it up and turned it over in her hand.  
  
"Sodapop Curtis," she read. It was that boy that walked her to class. It must have fell from his pocket into her bag when he went to pick it up. She looked at it again; underneath his name were his address and the word "Paycheck". She looked inside but it was empty, oh well, she wasn't going to take it anyway.  
  
"17, Washington Lane," she read his address. She'd give it back to him tomorrow, she decided, putting it on her nightstand.  
  
After a few hours of homework and staring at the cracked ceiling, her mother called her down for dinner.  
  
"So how is school so far Taylor?" her dad asked.  
  
"It's alright. This girl Jamie seems pretty nice," She replied.  
  
"I'm glad to see you're adjusting well sweetheart," her mother said. For some reason, Taylor didn't have much of an appetite. She noticed how she had stopped living since she moved here.  
  
"Mom, can I be excused?"  
  
"Oh Taylor, finish your dinner." Taylor quickly finished what was on her plate and left to go back to her empty room. She read a book for a while and stared at the ceiling, thinking of the things she'd left behind. She missed almost everything about New York. It was so big and busy, not like here where she barely noticed any other living beings.  
  
Suddenly, she heard angry voices from yelling from downstairs. She opened her door and walked down the stairs, stopping and the fourth one from the bottom, she didn't want to be seen.  
  
"George, please calm down. Put that down." Taylor heard a crash and her mother scream. Dad's drunk, she realized. Taking a deep breath she walked out of the stairwell. The kitchen table was overturned, glasses and plates shattered Several beer cans littered the floor, her mother was crumpled in the corner, crying. Her father's back was to her, he staggered slightly.  
  
"Dad," Taylor started, he turned towards her and threw a crumpled beer can at her head. She ducked and the can knocked a picture off the wall.  
  
"Dad please," she pleaded, walking towards her father. She needed to give her mother time to get to the phone and call Dr. Madison. He was a special psychiatrist that was supposed to help her father get over his drunk fits. That was the real reason they had moved to Oklahoma.  
  
Her father lunged at her and she swerved to avoid him. He grabbed her arm, twisting it painfully. She tried to yank away and at the same time, he pushed her over the already fallen table. She hit the floor and rolled away immediately as he advanced on her with a broken glass. She grabbed the sprayer from the sink and pulled the trigger, hoping to get some water in his eyes. She raced past him as he raised a hand to his eyes. She reached the door and turned back to see if he was following. She saw the broken glass right in front of her eyes. She threw her arm in front of her face and felt the glass bite into it. She shook her arm frantically, trying to get the glass shards out. Then she ran out the door into the dark night.  
  
Despite what you may think this will not end up bad I PROMISE! 


	3. Secrets

Hey, Thanks sooo much for the reviews. I'm so glad you like it.  
  
Okay I promised this chapter would be longer and it is.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Taylor ran down the dark street, not paying attention to where she was going. Finally she stopped, out of breath. She examined the cut on her arm, it was pretty deep and she was bleeding everywhere. She looked around and realized that she had no clue where she was. An owl hooted and trees rustled in the wind, but Taylor wasn't spooked. The fact that she was alone, that she didn't know where she was, that her father was crazy, none of that scared her. She was tough, growing up in New York she had to be. But still, she didn't like the ominous feeling that something was following her. She saw a street sign and something lit in her head.  
  
"Washington Lane," she whispered, "why does that sound familiar?"  
  
She headed down the road, pulling her jacket closer and nursing her bleeding arm. Finally she stopped at a mailbox that read '17 Curtis'. Then she remembered Sodapop, the boy who walked her to class, whose paycheck envelope was sitting on her nightstand. She didn't know him at all but she refused to go back home so she walked up the steps to the front door and knocked very lightly. Soon the door opened, and a muscular guy with ice blue eyes opened the door. He looked at her strangely.  
  
"Um, is Sodapop Curtis there?" she asked quietly. Slowly, he nodded and disappeared behind the doorway. Moments later, Soda appeared.  
  
"Taylor?" he said, surprised, "What are you doing here? How do you know where I live?"  
  
"You paycheck envelope, it must have fell in my bag cause when I got home it was there," she sounded like an idiot, "It had your address on it and…" her voice trailed off. He noticed the bloodstain on her jacket.  
  
"What happened?" he asked, his voice full of concern.  
  
"I tripped over a tree root. I was just out for a walk," she lied. He didn't buy it.  
  
"Well come inside so you can clean it off," he told her. She began to resist but he took her other arm and led her inside. She saw 6 boys sitting around watching T.V. The boy with the ice blue eyes seemed almost angry that Soda had brought her inside.  
  
"Taylor, this is my brother Darry," he said, indicating him, "Who will shut off that look because you're here to clean up that cut." He was talking to Taylor but was more concerned about Darry hearing it.  
  
"This is my other brother Ponyboy." The youngest boy nodded his head at her as a greeting.  
  
"That's Two-Bit," He pointed to an older boy with rusty-colored sideburns, who was wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt and eating chocolate cake.  
  
"That's Steve," a boy with his hair combed in complicated swirls gave a short wave to her.  
  
"This is Johnny," indicating a boy with black hair and fearful black eyes.  
  
Taylor had acknowledged all of them but her gaze lingered on the boy who had blond hair that was almost white, blue eyes that held a hatred for the world, and a face that looked like a lynx. She knew him immediately.  
  
"And this is Dally," Soda said, then he whispered in her ear, "He's the one from New York City." Taylor just nodded. The look in Dally's eyes told her that he remembered her as well.  
  
"Well, come into the kitchen so you can clean up that cut," He said, she followed him into a small kitchen. Soda crossed over to the sink and wet a towel.  
  
"Take off your jacket," he instructed. Taylor did and examined the cut, she realized that it didn't look at all like a cut from falling but she hoped Soda wouldn't know. He came over to her and put the wet towel on it, she flinched slightly.  
  
"So you got this from falling?" he asked, skeptically. Taylor let out an exasperated breath. She wanted to tell him the truth but she couldn't, it was too personal. Instead she just nodded.  
  
"It looks deep, and there must have been glass on the ground," he remarked as he wiped away the blood. He stopped cleaning the cut and looked up, their eyes met. Taylor was stabbed with guilt, his eyes were so trusting she couldn't keep it from him. But where to start?  
  
"Soda… remember how I said I moved her because of my dad's job?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Well… actually, my dad has a drinking problem. See sometimes he goes crazy and…" she stopped. He gripped her shoulder.  
  
"Did he do this?"  
  
Slowly, she nodded, "This psychiatrist is supposed to be able to help him. That's why we came here." She looked down at the floor, "I didn't mean to lie, it's just-"  
  
"I know," Soda said, "It's not like I haven't heard it before. We all have it bad."  
  
Taylor didn't know why but she trusted Soda, she told him everything that had happened that night.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm not sure what to do now."  
  
"Well, why don't you call home?" Soda suggested. He handed her the receiver and she called. Her mom answered.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"Taylor? Where are you?"  
  
"At this friend from school's house. Is dad okay?"  
  
"Yes. Dr. Madison's here, your father's under control. You can come home now."  
  
"Okay. Bye." She hung up.  
  
"Well?" Soda asked.  
  
"I can go home. Hey thanks for everything."  
  
"I'll walk you home," he offered  
  
"No that's okay."  
  
"I wanna make sure you're okay."  
  
"I'm fine really."  
  
"This neighborhood is not fun. It's late and a girl shouldn't be out alone now."  
  
She caved in, "Fine."  
  
After saying a quick goodbye to the others, they headed down the street back to Taylor's house. Soda told her about how he lived with Darry and Pony and that his parents were dead. Taylor saw how much it hurt him to talk about them but he did anyway. Taylor knew he was something special, he was different.  
  
  
  
BTW: this will not be a sappy love story don't worry. 


	4. Holding on

Hey, thanks for the great reviews, I'm glad you like it. Just so you all know, Chapters 4 and 5 should be one chapter but it was too long so I broke it up. Hope you enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer- See my previous chapters.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
The next day at school, Taylor realized that she had several classes with Soda. She also saw his friends, Two-Bit and Steve, who were very friendly. When lunch was starting, Soda approached her at her locker.  
  
"Hey, you wanna eat with us today?" he asked, 'us' being Steve and Two-Bit.  
  
"Sure."  
  
She followed him outside, where Steve and Two-Bit were waiting, sitting on a car.  
  
"Hey Taylor," Steve greeted. Tow-Bit tossed an empty coke bottle on the grass nearby.  
  
"Let's get outta here," he said, getting into the car. The others followed. They went to the DX where Soda and Steve worked, Soda told Taylor that they didn't like to stay at school because of all the Socs.  
  
"Socs?" she asked.  
  
"Rich assholes that think they're so much better than us," Two-Bit said dryly. Taylor nodded, while looking around the neighborhood.  
  
"Hey Soda?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You still wanna give me that tour? I think I could use it."  
  
"What tour?" Two-Bit asked.  
  
"Well even though you're butting into my business, Soda offered to show me around town because I was new."  
  
"I coulda done it," he said, trying to pout. Steve threw a wrapper at him.  
  
"Sure," Soda said, "How about tonight? I can pick you up at 5."  
  
"Actually, let me come to your house," Taylor said quickly, "It's just, my house is all messy cause we haven't gotten everything unpacked, and I don't know if my parents would be okay with it."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Wait a minute!" Two-Bit interrupted, "You're not gonna invite me?"  
  
"No," Soda and Taylor said together. Two-Bit wiped his eyes like he was crying, then cocked an eyebrow and broke into a grin.  
  
When Taylor got home she figured she'd better pitch the idea now better than later.  
  
"Hey mom?" She started, "This kid from school's gonna show me around town tonight okay?"  
  
"Who is this kid?" She said, like any mother would.  
  
"Sodapop Curtis."  
  
"Sodapop? What's his real name?"  
  
"Sodapop," She repeated, "His brother's name is Ponyboy."  
  
"What were his parents thinking?"  
  
"I don't know. His father liked original names."  
  
"I'd like to meet them before you go out with a boy."  
  
"Mom it's not a date! And besides, his parents died a little while ago."  
  
"Oh I'm sorry, do they have any guardian?"  
  
"Their older brother Darry, he's 19."  
  
"No adults?"  
  
"Darry is an adult!" Taylor protested. Why did her mother always have to do this?  
  
"I don't know Taylor. Is this the person whose house you went to last night?"  
  
"Yes. And Soda walked me home because he refused to let me walk home alone at night." Her eyes started to gain respect.  
  
"Does he know about your father?"  
  
Taylor paused, "Yes. He had to know, and he can be trusted not to tell anyone."  
  
"Taylor you know that you can be taken away from us if the wrong person hears about this." Her eyes didn't hold the same seriousness as her words.  
  
"I know mom. Look just let me go out tonight. You have to trust me eventually."  
  
"Taylor-"  
  
"You can't hold on to me forever." She pointed out. Her mother stopped. Slowly, she nodded.  
  
"You may go."  
  
Taylor turned and went upstairs to do her homework. At 4:30 she went back downstairs, expecting to get more hassling from her parents. She was right.  
  
"Taylor, your father and I would like to talk to you," her mother started.  
  
"Taylor we feel that-"  
  
"I'm not old enough to take care of myself and I don't know this boy very well and I should get to know him better before I make any decisions and even though I think you're being harsh that I must understand it's for the best right?" Taylor finished bluntly. Her parents looked shocked. But she wasn't finished.  
  
"Okay, I have spent 15 years in New York City, I think I've learned what kind of people to trust, and maybe for once you're wrong. Soda's not like other people and despite what you may think he's not interested in me as a girlfriend. So you can stop being all protective, I can take care of myself." Her parents were taken aback. She had never openly defied them before, but then again, they didn't know her all that well. No one did. When they didn't say anything, she turned on her heel and walked out the door.  
  
It was a crisp day, not too chilly. In daylight, Taylor saw that it wasn't too far to the Curtis' and soon she was walking down Washington lane again. When she got closer she noticed the younger brother, Ponyboy sitting on the steps, smoking a cigarette. He waved as he saw her approach, and she waved back. "Hey," he greeted.  
  
"Hey," she replied. She didn't know what to say, Pony wasn't as outgoing as his brother so he didn't say anything. She noticed that he was watching the sunset, and she was surprised as well as impressed. Not many people took the time to notice things as beautiful as that.  
  
"That sunset sure is beautiful," she remarked.  
  
He turned to her curiously, "You dig sunsets?"  
  
"Yeah, I always used to watch them in New York, it kinda got me away from all the gloom and gray."  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said, and Taylor could tell he meant it. Just then, the door opened and Soda came outside.  
  
"I thought I heard you two talking," he said.  
  
"You got a problem with that?" Pony asked, getting to his feet. Soda smiled at his younger brother and Taylor saw how close they were. Taylor longed for that kind of relationship with someone, but she was alone. But that was how life was sometimes, some people were destined to be alone, and she had to accept the fact that she was one of them.  
  
To be continued, in Chapter 5. 


	5. The tour

Okay I know this chapter title sucks but I couldn't think of anything.  
  
Hey, sorry for the long wait between chapters but my computer's been acting weird so it might take a while to get fixed. If I don't post for a couple of days don't worry, I haven't given it up. Well, I won't keep you waiting…  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Now that there weren't a bunch of people inside, Taylor saw that the Curtis' home was actually very nice. And neat, especially for three boys. Darry walked in from the kitchen and gave Taylor a friendly smile, which was very different from the look she received last night. Relieved, she smiled back.  
  
"So little buddy, how long are you guys gonna be out?" Darry asked, just like a parent.  
  
"Not too long," Soda replied, "I'm just gonna show Taylor around."  
  
"Okay." Darry said. Now why couldn't Taylor's parents be that understanding?  
  
Taylor and Soda headed off the porch and down the road.  
  
"Hey sorry we couldn't drive but the car's being fixed. We gotta stop at the DX tonight okay?"  
  
"Sure, not a problem."  
  
Soon they came up to the DX where they had eaten lunch earlier that day. Soda walked in and waved to Steve who was working on a car.  
  
"Hey Steve, how's my car, is it fixed yet?" Soda asked.  
  
"Nope," Steve replied, "Transmission's still shot."  
  
"Oh well."  
  
Taylor noticed several girls starting to gather.  
  
"Hey Sandy was in here a little while ago looking for you." Steve told Soda.  
  
"Sandy? What'd she want?"  
  
"Well, she said you hadn't called in a while and she missed you. She wanted to talk to you."  
  
"Is Sandy your girlfriend?" Taylor asked.  
  
"How'd you know?" Soda replied, surprised.  
  
"Said you hadn't called, wants to talk, misses you. I'm a girl I know everything."  
  
"Hey can you give me tomorrow's lottery numbers?" Steve asked, reaching for a piece of paper and a pencil. Taylor laughed and told him the first numbers that came to her head as Steve frantically scribbled them down on the paper.  
  
"Steve I swear you hang around Two-Bit too much," Soda said, chuckling.  
  
Taylor wasn't surprised that Soda had a girlfriend. Someone as handsome and sweet as him would have no trouble getting one. It didn't bother her, she didn't care. After buying two cokes, Soda and Taylor walked out of the DX and headed down the street.  
  
"You hungry?" Soda asked.  
  
"Not really," Taylor said.  
  
"Well, I'll take you to the Dingo," he said, leading her down another street.  
  
The Dingo was not exactly what Taylor had expected, but she didn't know exactly what that was. As they headed forward, a guy who was staggering slightly eyed Taylor and Soda quickly put his arm around her. She looked at him and smiled, a silent understanding passed between them. They walked inside and Soda yelled out across the room.  
  
"Hey Two-Bit!"  
  
Two-Bit turned around and walked over, followed by a girl with bleached blonde hair, a low cut shirt and a short skirt.  
  
"Hey Soda, Taylor." Two-Bit greeted, "This is Kelly," he indicated the blonde.  
  
Taylor hoped that her thoughts of the girl did not show up on her face, because they weren't anything good. Kelly stood there, chomping on gum and running her fingers along Two-Bit's long sideburns. Taylor forced a smile.  
  
"So are you two on that tour that you wouldn't invite me on?" he asked.  
  
"Yup," Soda said.  
  
"So you wanna get something to eat?" Two-Bit asked. Soda looked at Taylor.  
  
"Sure," she said. The four went to a booth and started talking about stuff. Taylor didn't contribute much, but just sat there, sipping her coke. After a while, Soda and Taylor left and headed down the street. Soda began to explain about the places that Greasers hung out and places that Socs hang out.  
  
"This is so stupid!" Taylor exclaimed after Soda finished explaining the different drive-ins that Greasers and Socs went to. He looked at her strangely.  
  
"Not you Soda, this whole 'Greaser, Soc' thing. I hate the way people judge you by the way you dress. God, those Socs are the most," Taylor couldn't find the right word, "and everyone thinks they're so great because they're rich and we're hoods because of what we wear. It's so stupid." Soda seemed surprised at her reaction.  
  
"Taylor, I would have thought that you, growing up in New Yor-"  
  
"Oh stop it!" she cried, "I hate when people say that! Yeah, I grew up in New York, and yeah I've seen it before, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with it. There's a difference."  
  
"So what are you gonna do about it?"  
  
She paused, "Nothing, I don't like it but I can't do anything. I'm not the president or anything."  
  
They didn't say anything for a while, and eventually they headed home.  
  
"Hey Taylor,"  
  
"Soda I'm sorry I said what I did. Sometimes things just get me so mad I don't know what to do."  
  
"It's okay, I understand. I've said some stupid things too."  
  
Taylor couldn't help but smile. Soda really was different.  
  
"So I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. I guess so. Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight."  
  
Taylor opened the door to her house. The lights were off and she figured her parents were in bed. She went up to her room, flicked on the lights and began to unpack her boxes.  
  
  
  
Just warning you, 6 & 7 will be like 4 & 5, supposed to be the same chapter but too long, so I split it. I'll post it soon as I'm done. 


	6. The dance

Okay, now that I've finally found out where I'm going with this I can assure you that it will be good. Please bear with me through the boring chapters, the next one will be sooooo much better.  
  
How come no one's reviewing?? Please Review, It makes me smile.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Taylor began to spend more time at the Curtis', and became close friends with them and the other boys. She'd often go there after school and just hang out. Eventually, everyone would be there.  
  
"Hey Taylor, go get me a coke." Two-Bit said from the couch.  
  
"What, are your legs broken?" she asked. Two-Bit collapsed from the couch, clutching his legs.  
  
"Yes!" he cried, "and a coke is the only thing that will heal them."  
  
Ponyboy rolled his eyes and nudged Two-Bit's ribs with his toe. Taylor blew out an exasperated breath and stood up.  
  
"Fine you baby." She said, walking into the kitchen. As soon as she was gone Two-Bit hopped up and sat back down on the couch.  
  
"Hey Soda, me and this girl Evie are going out dancing Friday, you wanna come?" Steve asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'll bring Sandy. Hey Two-Bit, you and Kelly wanna come if your legs heal?" Soda said.  
  
"Nah. Me and Kelly broke up. I don't feel like going alone."  
  
Taylor walked back in and handed Two-Bit his coke. Two-Bit kept his eyes on her and smiled. He glanced at Soda and slowly he smiled too.  
  
"What?" Taylor asked warily, "What are you staring at?"  
  
Two-Bit leaped up from the couch. "Hey Taylor, Soda and Steve and their girlfriends are going dancing on Friday and I was wondering if you wanna go with me?"  
  
She cocked an eyebrow, mimicking him, "I thought you only date blondes."  
  
"I can make an exception."  
  
She pressed her lips together, thinking. "Okay," she said finally.  
  
When she got home from school on Friday, she knew it would be really hard to convince her parents to let her go. But she tried anyway.  
  
"Taylor, another boy?"  
  
"Mom how many times do I have to tell you that he's just a friend?"  
  
"How can you be sure?"  
  
"And how can you be sure he's not?" She said, turning away.  
  
"Taylor dinner's almost ready."  
  
"I'm not hungry." She ran up the stairs and slammed her door shut. Downstairs she heard her mom calling her dad. She walked over to her bed and lifted up the mattress, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She waved her arm around as she smoked so her parents wouldn't smell anything. 'I'm going,' she thought, 'and they can't stop me'. She changed into a pale blue shirt with a red rose on it and a black skirt. She pulled her hair back into a half-ponytail but several strands in the front still hung out, her bangs that had grown out but weren't long enough to reach her ponytail. She looked fine but she still had no way of getting out of the house. She went over to her window and looked out at the sky. She realized that she could get out onto the roof. She opened her window and grabbed a book off her dresser. After going out the window and onto the roof, she put the book on the windowsill so the window couldn't close all the way. Then she took off her heels and crept over to the end of the roof. Luckily, she could slip off the end onto the porch railing then down onto the grass. She quickly put her shoes back on and ran down the street.  
  
She knocked on the Curtis' door and Darry opened it.  
  
"Hey. Come on in."  
  
She walked in and greeted Pony and Steve, who were sitting on the couch, watching T.V.  
  
"Soda's in the shower," Pony said. She nodded and sat down next to him.  
  
"You look nice," Steve remarked.  
  
"Hey Darry have you seen my-" Soda stopped midsentence as he walked down the hall, wearing only a towel. Then he smiled.  
  
"You guys could at least warn me that a girl's here."  
  
Taylor laughed, it was a sound she realized she only heard when she was around them, her friends.  
  
"I'm gonna go get changed," Soda said, heading for his room. The door knocked again but before anyone got up, it opened.  
  
"I'm here, the party can start now," Two-Bit announced.  
  
"Oh good, we were waiting for you to get here," Steve said, rolling his eyes. Soda came back out, fully dressed.  
  
"I'm ready."  
  
"I gotta pick up Evie," Steve said.  
  
"Yeah, I gotta get Sandy too," Soda replied, "Oh, Dally said he and Sylvia might stop by."  
  
"They're back together?" Pony asked.  
  
"Yeah, last week," Steve said giving Pony a look that made him lean back against the couch, his eyes on the ground. Taylor bit her lip, she knew how quiet Pony usually was, and just when he starts talking Steve shut him up. Her eyes met Pony's sympathetically.  
  
"Well, we'll meet you there," Two-Bit said, walking over to Taylor. She stood up.  
  
"Alright, see you." Soda said. Taylor followed Two-Bit outside to his car, and they got in. It started with an unreassuring clatter, but it ran fine.  
  
"You wanna grab something to eat first?" He asked.  
  
"I don't care. I'm not that hungry."  
  
"Alright."  
  
As they drove, Two-Bit told her about his family, his mom and little sister.  
  
"What about your dad?"  
  
"He left when I was young."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Two-Bit shrugged, "I don't care."  
  
Despite his carefree attitude, Taylor believed that he really did care.  
  
"What about your family?" he asked.  
  
"My mom's overprotective and my dad doesn't care at all what happens to me."  
  
"I'm sorry,"  
  
"I don't care." As she said that she felt her own thoughts being flung back at her. She hated that.  
  
"Well, here we are." Two-Bit said.  
  
From the looks they were getting, Taylor figured she wasn't the only person that knew Two-Bit only dated blondes. The looks didn't seem to bother him though, he actually seemed proud as he walked through the room, his arm around her waist. He liked the attention.  
  
"Two-Bit, I almost didn't recognize you," a voice said from behind them. They turned around and Taylor saw a lean boy with curly black hair. His eyes were hard and cold and his nose looked like it had been broken more than once.  
  
"Hey Tim," Two-Bit said.  
  
"Who's the chick?" Tim asked. Taylor hated when people talked like she wasn't in the room.  
  
"My name's Taylor, and I'm not deaf so if you have a question about me ask me, not someone else."  
  
"Feisty. I like it. Where you from?"  
  
"New York City. I just moved here."  
  
"You got a number?"  
  
"Not one that I'm gonna give to you."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Knock it off Tim." Two-Bit said. Tim looked coldly at Two-Bit but turned away and gestured to someone. A girl came up and put her arms around Tim's neck. Two-Bit's eyes burned with rage, and Taylor recognized her in a second. It was Kelly.  
  
"See you later," Tim said as they walked off. Two-Bit cursed him out under his breath. Taylor kept her eyes on them, what a tramp that Kelly was.  
  
"Trust me Two-Bit you're better off without her." She remarked  
  
  
  
Okay lame I know but the next chapter is really good, I promise. 


	7. Confession

I've been working a long time on this chapter so that's why I haven't posted in a while.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
"That Tim Shepard sure is a-"  
  
"Look, there's Soda and the others," Taylor interrupted. They walked over to them. Steve was with a slight girl with black hair that had ringlet curls. She wore a lot of eye makeup and her skirt was a little short. Taylor assumed that she was Edie. Another girl with natural blonde hair and pale blue eyes stood beside Soda.  
  
"Hey Two-Bit, hey Taylor," Soda greeted, "This is Sandy."  
  
"Hi," she said sweetly, she seemed nice. Steve came up next to Soda.  
  
"This is Evie," he said, indicating the girl with black hair.  
  
"Hello," Taylor said, Evie just nodded and smiled.  
  
The six moved out onto the dance floor and danced for a while. Two- Bit kept making faces when he tripped over himself and Taylor would start laughing so hard tears began to come into her eyes. She was having a great time. They had been there for about and hour and a half already.  
  
Taylor was thinking about how much she liked it here, how much her attitude had changed. She wasn't so secretive and cold, not so quick to push people away. Suddenly, people started yelling, breaking into Taylor's thoughts. Two-Bit pushed through the crowd, following Soda and Steve. People began to pull back and Taylor saw that there had been a fight. Soda plunged into it, grabbing one of the guys by the shoulders and yanking him back. The fighter turned away and Taylor saw that it was Dally. Their eyes locked, and he quickly broke away. Taylor saw so much anger and hate in those few moments in Dally's eyes. But she had seen something else too, but she couldn't place what it was, Regret? She didn't know, but like she had said many times before, she didn't care.  
  
Two-Bit came back to her. "Let's go," he said quickly. They hurried out the door and to his car.  
  
"Two-Bit!" a voice called. They turned around and saw Soda running to them, "Dally's gotta get outta here, someone called the fuzz. Can you take him?"  
  
"My car only fits two cause of all the junk in the back."  
  
"I don't mind walking," Taylor said.  
  
"Are you sure?" Two-Bit asked.  
  
"I'll walk her home," Soda offered. Two-Bit looked hesitant but he nodded. Steve and Dally came running over.  
  
"Get in," Soda told Dally. Two-Bit and Dally got in, and drove off. Soda turned to Steve.  
  
"Steve take Sandy home, I'll walk with Taylor."  
  
"I can walk myself you know." Taylor interrupted.  
  
"No, I'm walking you home, so don't argue."  
  
Taylor rolled her eyes, "Fine."  
  
Steve drove off with Evie and Sandy, and Soda and Taylor started walking.  
  
"So are your parents gonna be mad that you're gonna get home so late?"  
  
"They didn't even know I left," Taylor replied.  
  
"You snuck out?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I wanted to go out, who cares they're gonna kill me anyway."  
  
They walked in silence for a while, staring at the stars.  
  
"Hey Taylor?" Soda asked, breaking the long silence.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"How come you don't like Dally?"  
  
Taylor stopped walking, she turned to face him, "Who said I didn't like him?"  
  
"Well, every time someone mentions his name something changes in your eyes, and when you look at him it looks like you're gonna kill him."  
  
Taylor bit her lip. The past had caught up to her once again. And here she was keeping secrets again. It had to stop, but this, she couldn't tell anyone.  
  
"Are you okay?" Soda asked in concern.  
  
"Yeah, it's just…"  
  
"You don't have to talk about it."  
  
Taylor shook her head, "No, you have a right to know. I did know Dally in New York City."  
  
Soda stayed quiet. He waited out her silence as she fought with her past.  
  
"I have a brother. He's about a year older than Ponyboy. Travis was… lost. Growing up on the streets isn't easy, you have to fight to stay alive, and sometimes you still don't make it. Travis felt that if he belonged to a gang, he wouldn't have to fight so much; the gang could take care of him. One day he came home and told me that he had found a gang to belong to. That he was going to the initiation that night. I tried to talk him out of it but once his mind is made up, no one can change it. In order to get into the gang he had to break into this store and steal money out of the cast register. Well, someone called to police and the gang split, Travis got caught. The judge put him in jail, and my parents refused to pay the bail. Like an idiot I tried to raise the money myself but…" Taylor stopped. She bit her lip to keep the tears from falling. She hadn't thought it would be this hard. Soda took her hand and pressed it between his.  
  
"I don't want you to be hurt. You don't have to tell me," He told her. She barely heard him, she was lost in the memory.  
  
"He got out 3 months later on probation. He came home and told me that he was gonna kill the person who put him in jail. That person was Dallas Winston. I'll never forget the look in his eyes when he said that name. Travis had changed so much, his eyes were so hard, so angry. It scared me, I was afraid that he really would kill him. He showed me that he had gotten a gun, I tried to stop him but I couldn't," She felt her voice starting to crack, "He went out that night and I sat there, waiting. I didn't know what to do. I heard police sirens and I knew they were going after him. The police came and told me and my parents that Travis was in jail again. That was a month before we left," she stopped and the tears started falling. Soda pulled her into him and she buried her face in his chest, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore.  
  
"We left without him! He doesn't even know. And it's all my fault, I should have gone after him, I should've stopped him. I just sat there while he was getting arrested. And it's all cause of Dally. He knew that the store was alarmed, the test was to see if he could get away from the cops. If he did, he was in the gang. If not, he was in jail."  
  
Soda held her against him, "Taylor it's not your fault. You said that once his mind was made up no one could stop him."  
  
"I should have tried," she sobbed, "but I didn't and now he's rotting in jail and I'm on the other side of the country and everything's so screwed up! I thought that maybe I could write to him and tell him where we are but then I found out Dally's here and… he knows me too. After my brother went to jail, I went looking for him, I wanted to meet him face to face. I wanted to kill him and I would have but…"  
  
She stopped and pulled away from Soda.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes, "I shouldn't have told you."  
  
"No, I'm glad you did. You needed to get that out."  
  
"But he's your friend and-"  
  
"He's trying to change. I know it may not seem like it but he is. Maybe you meeting again was supposed to happen. Everyone deserves a second chance."  
  
Taylor was silent; she didn't think Dally deserved a second chance. But Soda was a loyal friend who was there for her, and she thought very highly of his opinions. And besides, If Dally was Soda's friend; maybe he was trying to change.  
  
"Come on, we're almost home." Soda said,  
  
Home. The word used to have no meaning to Taylor. She thought of the saying 'Home is Where the Heart Is'. Well, Taylor didn't exactly know where her heart was but she was beginning to believe more and more that it was here, in Oklahoma.  
  
  
  
*Please review* 


	8. Dropout

I really have no "before chapter" notes to print so I'm not gonna. I think you can guess what this chapter is about by the title.  
  
Chapter 8  
  
About three weeks later, Taylor went into third period expecting to see Soda like she always did but he wasn't there. The bell rang and still, no Soda. She figured he was sick; everyone gets sick eventually. But he didn't come all week, and Taylor began to get worried. On Friday she went to the Curtis' to see if he was all right.  
  
"Hey Taylor," Pony greeted, "Haven't seen you in a while."  
  
"I've been busy. Is Soda okay?"  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"He hasn't been in school."  
  
Pony looked at the ground.  
  
Soda came down the hall, "Hey Taylor!" he greeted.  
  
"Hi. How come you haven't been in school?"  
  
Again, the awkward silence.  
  
"Can I talk to you?"  
  
"Yeah, sure." They went outside and sat on the steps.  
  
"Taylor I probably should have mentioned this before, but… I dropped out."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Because I'm dumb," he said simply, "and besides, I need to make more money so we can stay together."  
  
Taylor hadn't thought about that. She knew how hard it was for Darry, Pony, and Soda to stay together.  
  
"But you don't have to drop out, I mean… you can't."  
  
Taylor was surprised at how this was affecting her. She took a deep breath.  
  
"It's just that, well you were the first person who I met and became friends with here. I guess it just seems weird that you won't be there anymore. But… if you feel you need to, I have no right to say you can't."  
  
"I don't want you to be upset-"  
  
"I'm not," Taylor cut in, "I'm just surprised. I mean, I didn't think of you as someone who would drop out."  
  
"Well what did you think of me as?"  
  
Taylor hesitated, how could she answer that question?  
  
"I don't know,"  
  
"Well, I don't understand," Soda said, his voice starting to rise.  
  
"Why are you getting mad? I'm just trying to be honest."  
  
Soda stopped, his voice went back to its normal gentleness.  
  
"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just so used to taking crap from people and,"  
  
"Sometimes I say things I shouldn't, " they said at the same time.  
  
They both smiled.  
  
"Don't worry about it Soda, really." Taylor said.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yup, completely. Although now I'll actually have to learn something in English because you won't be there to bother the teacher."  
  
Soda couldn't help but laugh; he would miss that, definitely. But he felt this was something he needed to do.  
  
"Hey Taylor, you wanna stay for dinner? I'm cooking tonight."  
  
"Okay, sure."  
  
They walked back inside.  
  
"Hey Darry, Taylor's staying for dinner okay?" Soda called.  
  
"No problem little buddy, but I think you better get in here. I think something's wrong with dinner." Darry called from the kitchen.  
  
"What?" he asked as he ran into the kitchen. Taylor sat down next to Ponyboy, who was doing his homework.  
  
"Hey," he said, while writing a paper.  
  
"What are you working on?"  
  
"I'm supposed to write the essay about what this poem means to me," he handed her a piece of paper.  
  
"Nothing Gold can Stay," she read, "I think I've read that before. So what does it mean to you?"  
  
"I don't know," Pony said, still writing, "I don't really understand what he's saying."  
  
"Yeah, lots of poems are like that."  
  
Soda poked his head into the room, "Dinner's ready."  
  
They went into the kitchen and sat down, it was then that Taylor noticed what was on her plate. It was a pancake, but not just a pancake, it was…  
  
"Green!" Pony exclaimed.  
  
"Okay this is just slightly weird," Taylor said, shaking her head in amusement. Pony took a bite.  
  
"It's good!" he said, surprised.  
  
During dinner, Taylor told them about life in the city, but she left her brother out of it. She didn't know why, Soda had probably told them already, but she didn't feel like talking about it again.  
  
Soon Two-Bit and Steve came over, followed by Dally and Johnny. They sat in the living room, watching Mickey Mouse, which was Two-Bit's favorite. At various times during the night Taylor noticed Soda glancing at her. She figured it was because Dally was there. She didn't care anymore though. She still didn't like Dally, he wasn't her friend, but she'd give him a chance. She had seen how hate destroys people, and she didn't want the same thing to happen to her that happened to her brother. Yes, she'd give Dally a chance.  
  
  
  
*Please Review* 


	9. Jumped

Okay this chapter is really short but I couldn't think of anything else to write. If anybody has ideas for this story I could use them, I think I'm gonna bring it to a close soon.  
  
Disclaimer- I own Alyssa. Also, I tried as hard as possible not to use the same words S.E. Hinton did.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
"Finally, it's June!" Taylor exclaimed as she pushed open the doors, out of school.  
  
"Yup, only a few more weeks of the prison they call school," Steve agreed.  
  
"Let's go to the DX to celebrate, I'm in the mood for a coke," Two- Bit said.  
  
After "celebrating", Taylor headed over to her friend Alyssa's house to work on a school project.  
  
"I hate the Civil War," Alyssa remarked as she glued a toy soldier to a piece of cardboard, "It's done and over, North won, South lost. Who cares?"  
  
"I know, and why do we have to do an oral presentation about it?" Taylor agreed, "It's not like I'm gonna be a public speaker or anything."  
  
"Well, it doesn't matter what we like, it matters what the teacher likes. He's the one who gives us the grade." Alyssa grumbled.  
  
"At least it's better than taking tests," Taylor pointed out.  
  
After 3 hours of complaining, Taylor said goodbye to Alyssa and headed home. She slung her bookbag over her shoulder and headed down the street, just as the streetlights came on. It was beginning to get chilly, but because it was June, Taylor didn't have a jacket. She walked quicker towards her house, which was a little ways away. As she passed an open field she saw some people running towards something that was on the ground. Taylor's stomach lurched as she realized that it was a person. She ran towards it with an ominous feeling that this was gonna be bad.  
  
As she approached, she saw that the people running toward the limp person were Soda, Pony, and Steve. Soda reached the person just seconds before Taylor did. She crashed to her knees next to Soda. He turned the person over slowly and Taylor stomach lurched at the sight. It was Johnny. His face was cut and bruised and there was a bloody gash along his cheekbone. His t-shirt was stained with blood. Taylor jaw clenched and she feared he was dead. She heard someone fall to the ground near her and she looked over and saw Two-Bit, his usual bright eyes extremely grave. When she turned back, Darry and Dally had appeared. Soda gathered Johnny in his arms.  
  
"Johnny?"  
  
"Soda?" Johnny asked softly.  
  
Taylor blew out a relieved breath. He was alive. His eyes fluttered open.  
  
"Don't talk," Soda said, "You're gonna be fine."  
  
But Johnny didn't listen, he tried to say what happened but he broke down and began crying.  
  
"It's okay Johnny, they're gone now. It's okay." Soda kept saying.  
  
Taylor felt like her heart was about to crack. She glanced around and saw that everyone felt the same. Darry's hands were in fists, Two-Bit seemed frozen, Steve was slowly shaking his head, Pony was beginning to shake, and Dally was cursing under his breath. Taylor's eyes rested on Dally for a moment, and she saw the pain in his eyes. She felt a softening toward him. There was no mistaking that look, Dally really cared for Johnny, and Taylor knew that seeing him like this had to be hard. He glanced at her for a moment and their eyes locked. In that moment they shared an agreement, they weren't quite friends but Johnny needed their help; the past could wait.  
  
Johnny began to tell them between sobs what had happened. He explained how a blue Mustang pulled up and four Socs got out. They beat him up, and he got cut because one of them was wearing a lot of rings.  
  
Pony had told her that Johnny would get beat up a lot by his father. Taylor had seen it too, some nights Johnny would come into the Curtis' his face bruised and swollen. Pony had told her how he never let it get to him, how it didn't turn him hard and angry like it did most people. She glanced at Pony and saw the sorrow in his eyes, he knew that same thing she did, this was the last straw for Johnny; he wouldn't be the same after this.  
  
Johnny finished explaining what happened and it became silent for a while. The only sounds that were heard were the soft lull of the crickets and Johnny's quiet sobs. Taylor reached out and put her hand on his arm. It was a small comfort but she wanted him to know she was there for him.  
  
  
  
Please give me ideas if you have any and as always, Please Review (it makes me happy). =) 


	10. Changes

Hey! Sorry it took me so long to post, I had this chapter totally different and then I changed it at the last second. If you want to know what my original idea was, e-mail me and I let you know why I changed it. My e-mail address is DanceGoddess113@aol.com  
  
Chapter 10  
  
After making sure Johnny was safe at the Curtis', Taylor headed home. She saw the porch light was on and she considered sneaking up on to the roof to her room but just then the door opened. Her dad stood in the doorway, an angry expression on his face.  
  
"Where the hell have you been?" he snapped.  
  
"I was on my way home a while ago but one of my friends got jumped and he almost died. I had to make sure he was okay."  
  
"I don't like these friends of yours."  
  
"It's not Johnny's fault he got jumped! He's the sweetest, quietest person alive."  
  
"Don't be a smart mouth. You're becoming just like your brother."  
  
If he had said that at any other time, Taylor could have brushed it off, but now she was still shaking from worry over Johnny and she was fuming at her father for yelling at her. She exploded.  
  
"How dare you talk about Travis! He wouldn't be the way he is if you had bailed him out of jail the first time."  
  
"Don't you dare put this on me young lady."  
  
"Why not? It's your fault. Jail changed him, and he's still there."  
  
"I don't see you doing anything about it."  
  
Taylor froze. Her eyes burned with hatred, her body shaking uncontrollably.  
  
"I did more than you did," she said slowly, "I was there for him."  
  
"That must explain why he's in jail in the first place!"  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"You say you were there for him but you didn't stop him from running out did you? Both times he came to you and did you stop him? No. Don't try to blame me, blame yourself."  
  
Taylor's cheeks flushed, she staggered back as if he had slapped her. Her mother appeared in the doorway.  
  
"What's going on? Why are you yelling?" she asked.  
  
"It's nothing dear, go back inside," her father said.  
  
"Why were you yelling?" she asked again.  
  
"We had a disagreement. Don't worry it's okay. Go back inside," his voice became more forceful. Taylor still hadn't moved.  
  
"Okay," she said slowly, turning towards the door, "Taylor come on inside sweetie, it's late."  
  
"In a minute Alice, we're still talking," her father said  
  
"Okay George," she said, before walking back into the house.  
  
"I have nothing more to say to you," Taylor said, her voice cracking.  
  
"Well that makes two of us. You're so ungrateful, we care for you, give you what you need and this is the thanks we get? You coming in at 1:30 in the morning. Just what were you doing?"  
  
"I told you. Johnny got jumped, he was hurt; I needed to help him."  
  
"Sure. That's what you say."  
  
"What are you implying?"  
  
"I know your friends, I know their kind. They're all boys aren't they? And you come home late almost every time you go out. And I'm not going to forget the time you snuck out to see them."  
  
"How dare you!" Taylor cried, "How could you think that I…" her voice trailed off, she bit her lip.  
  
"Well I will tell you one thing I don't want people like you in my house."  
  
"Fine. I'll leave, that's what you want isn't it?"  
  
Her father said nothing, but the look in his eyes told Taylor that he didn't want her there. She turned and left, even though she had no place to go. She considered going to the Curtis' but Johnny was there and he needed them more than she did. So she kept on walking, her body shaking from what her father had said. How she hated him, more than she hated anyone in her whole life. She felt hot tears of rage fall down her cheeks and she made no effort to get rid of them. A car started following her and she walked quicker. It continued to trail her and she finally gave up on running away, right now she could kill anyone who bothered her. But as the car pulled up, she recognized it.  
  
"Hey kid! What are you doing out here?"  
  
"Two-Bit!" she exclaimed, "Oh man, I don't know where to start."  
  
"Do you need a ride home?"  
  
"No way. I'm never going back there again."  
  
"Did something happen?" Two-Bit's voice became more concerned than it already was. Damn, why did she have to have problems now? After what happened to Johnny everyone is shook up.  
  
"Yeah but I'm okay. I'm just need to take a walk."  
  
"No way, get in. I just saw that Mustang drive by a while ago." He cursed them out then reached over and pushed the door open.  
  
"Get in," he told her. Reluctantly, she did. As she closed the door behind her she saw the headlights of a car in the side mirror.  
  
"It's our friends," Two-Bit said sarcastically, hitting the gas and tearing out of there.  
  
"So where are we going?" Taylor asked after a while.  
  
"I'm taking you to my house. You can stay there tonight."  
  
"No, I don't' wanna be a problem."  
  
"No problem at all. Eventually you wanna tell me what happened?"  
  
"Eventually," she said, "I just need to think about it for a while."  
  
"Okay, I won't pry." Two-Bit could tell something was bothering her. After a while she broke the silence.  
  
"Two-Bit, when you first met me, what were your thoughts about me?"  
  
"What?" he asked, surprised.  
  
"What did you think of me?"  
  
"I thought you were beautiful. And I was confused because I didn't know who you were."  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"What about when you asked me to the dance?"  
  
"Taylor what is this about?"  
  
"Just answer my question."  
  
He thought for a while, "Well, I wanted a date and I saw you walk in and I thought 'Maybe Taylor would go with me' and I asked you."  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Maybe if you gave me a clue as to what you're searching for, I could tell you better."  
  
"Well," she tried to decide how to word this, "When you went out with Kelly, she was really…" she couldn't find the right word, "Really…"  
  
"Slutty?" Two-Bit suggested.  
  
"You noticed too?"  
  
"Yeah, but what does this have to do with you?"  
  
"Were you interested in me that way?"  
  
Two-Bit didn't say anything for a moment; he looked at her.  
  
"No. I figured we'd go as friends and if something came from that then cool. I didn't think you were like that. Why?"  
  
"Because apparently my dad thinks I am. He thought I was lying when I came home. That Johnny didn't get jumped, that I was… you know."  
  
"No way!" Two-Bit exclaimed, "I can't believe he'd think that. Taylor from the moment I met you I knew you weren't like that."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. I had always thought the total opposite. Your dad has got it all wrong."  
  
"I know that. So you never thought I was like that?"  
  
"Never once."  
  
"How bout the others?"  
  
"No. They knew you wouldn't be into that stuff. You're different Taylor."  
  
"Thanks. You made me feel a lot better."  
  
Two-Bit broke into a grin, "Glad to hear it. Well here's my house, nothing fancy but it's better than being on the streets."  
  
They got out and walked into the house. It smelled of cigarette smoke but Taylor didn't mind.  
  
"You can sleep in my room tonight." Two-Bit offered.  
  
"No way. I told you, I don't want to be a problem."  
  
"Taylor, just go. I have to work on my host skills."  
  
Taylor laughed quietly; she didn't want to wake anyone up.  
  
"I'm not going to. I can sleep right here, on the couch."  
  
"No. If my mom walks in and sees you then she'll go nuts. Just sleep in my room and make things simple."  
  
"Okay fine. Listen, thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done without you."  
  
"No problem. Come on I'll show you where my room is." He led her up the stairs into a room that had several posters of Mickey Mouse on the wall, and lots of cigarette butts on the floor.  
  
"Not the cleanest but oh well." Two-Bit remarked as he scooped up some dirty clothes from the floor.  
  
"You don't have to do this really." Taylor started but Two-Bit broke in.  
  
"I know but I want to." He went over to his dresser and pulled out an old t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants. He tossed them to Taylor.  
  
"Here. You can sleep in these if you want."  
  
"Thanks." she said. He headed towards the door but stopped and turned to face her.  
  
"Taylor if you need anything, let me know okay?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Are you sure you'll be all right?"  
  
"No, I'm not sure. But I believe, and that's good enough."  
  
"I'll be downstairs if you need me."  
  
"Okay. Thank you, for everything."  
  
"It's okay. Sleep well."  
  
"I'll try," she said, trying to grin. She didn't succeed very well. Slowly, Two-Bit left and closed the door behind him. Taylor quickly changed into the t-shirt and sweat pants and sat down on the bed. She didn't think she could sleep, but surprisingly as soon as her head hit the pillow she fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
  
  
*Please Review* 


	11. Words

Thanks for all of you who have been reviewing, I'm glad you like this story. I'm running out of ideas so I might end this story soon. If any of you reading this have an idea, please tell me.  
  
Chapter 11  
  
  
  
When Taylor woke the next morning she sat up, unsure of where she was. Then the memory of last night came flowing back. Of celebrating June, of complaining about the civil war, of seeing Johnny's limp body, of the fear she felt, of her father's confrontation and accusations, of running away and finding Two-Bit; it all came back to her in that moment. She lied back down, hoping it would all go away but she knew it wouldn't. Last night would never go away. Someone knocked lightly on the door and she got up and opened it. Two-Bit stood in the hallway, his hair damp and smelling like he'd just got out of the shower.  
  
"Hi," she said.  
  
"Hey," he replied, "Did you sleep well?"  
  
"Yes, surprisingly."  
  
"That's good." Neither of them knew what to say. So they just stood there, looking like idiots.  
  
"You want breakfast?" Two-Bit asked, finally breaking the silence.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"I would cook but my little sister says she'd rather starve than eat my cooking so I would suggest going out for breakfast."  
  
Taylor smiled, "Okay, just let me get dressed and stuff."  
  
"I'm not in a hurry."  
  
"Well in that case, can I take a shower too?"  
  
"Sure, bathroom's the third door down the hall."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
After a quick shower, Taylor put on what she had on last night, because she had nothing else to wear, and pulled her hair into a ponytail. She walked downstairs and saw Two-Bit sitting on the couch, reading the paper.  
  
"Is Mickey Mouse not on right now?" she asked, jokingly.  
  
Two-Bit grinned his famous grin, "Nope. You ready?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
They drove down to Jay's and walked in. Not many people were there, it was kinda early. They found a booth and sat down and ordered their food. a little while later the door opened and Soda walked in.  
  
"Hey Soda!" Two-Bit called. Soda spotted them and walked over.  
  
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?"  
  
"Long story," Taylor said.  
  
"I got time," Soda said. Taylor glanced at Two-Bit then began to tell Soda about last night. She told him about her dad yelling at her and her running out and Two-Bit finding her.  
  
"And so I stayed at Two-Bit's last night," she concluded.  
  
"Well it's good Two-Bit found you when he did," Soda said, "I mean, I wouldn't have wanted you to stay home but it's dangerous going out in the middle of the night like that."  
  
"I kinda figured that out." Taylor said bluntly, "How's Johnny?" she asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Not too good. He's got a lot of cuts and the one from his temple to his cheekbone will probably leave a scar."  
  
Two-Bit cursed.  
  
"Those creeps who did it were following Taylor last night. I got to her first though." Two-Bit said.  
  
"Those bastards," Soda said, "What do they have against us?"  
  
"I don't know, but I hate them," Two-Bit remarked.  
  
Their food came but Taylor wasn't hungry anymore.  
  
"You can have some of mine Soda. I'm not all that hungry."  
  
"Okay," he said  
  
After paying, they left Jay's and walked out into the parking lot.  
  
"I'll see you guys later, I gotta go to work," Soda said.  
  
"Okay, see ya," Two-Bit said, as Soda got into a Ford. He drove off, leaving Taylor and Two-Bit standing there.  
  
"You can stay at my house as long as you need to," Two-Bit began.  
  
"Thanks Two-Bit for the offer but I think I'm gonna head home. I have some things I need to tell my father."  
  
"Okay. You want a ride?"  
  
"Nah. It's a nice day. I think I'll walk. It's probably better anyway."  
  
"Okay. Hey let me know how it turns out."  
  
"No problem. And thanks for everything."  
  
Two-Bit got into his car and drove off and Taylor walked slowly towards her house. When she finally got there, she began to think again about going in. She had no intention of staying; she just wanted to tell her father how wrong he was about her. Slowly she walked up the steps and knocked on the door. Her mother opened it.  
  
"Taylor!" she cried, hugging her tightly, "You had me so worried, don't ever do that again!"  
  
"You're telling me this?" she asked. Her mother stopped hugging her.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Taylor was shocked, "Dad didn't tell you what he said to me?"  
  
"No sweetie. He just said that he was talking to you and you just ran away all of a sudden."  
  
Taylor couldn't believe what she was hearing.  
  
"That bastard," she said angrily.  
  
"Taylor, what is this about?"  
  
"Mom, a lot more happened than what Dad said."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well first he told me that Travis being in jail was all my fault, that I should have stopped him from going out."  
  
"Honey, you know it wasn't your fault, your father was just angry."  
  
"How can you say that? Being angry doesn't excuse him from saying what he said. Would you like to know more of the conversation he didn't tell you about?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well aside from that he accused me of being a whore. He didn't believe me when I told him that Johnny had gotten jumped and almost died. That's why I was late Mom; I was helping a friend."  
  
"Taylor, I understand where your father gets his beliefs, I-"  
  
"No way. You agree with him?"  
  
"Taylor you have to admit, you come home awful late sometimes. And you're talking back to us like you never used to. A parent can only think that when their daughter is changing and all her friends are boys that-"  
  
"Oh my God!" Taylor cried, "I can't believe I'm hearing this! How can you say that about me Mom? How can you stand there and tell me such lies?"  
  
"Honey I'm not saying that that's the truth, what I'm saying is-"  
  
"I don't want to hear what you're saying!" Taylor yelled, "I don't want to hear anything from you. I can't believe you would think that about me. You feeling that way could have gotten me killed last night."  
  
"Why? What happened?"  
  
"Every think about what happened when I left? Those same people who jumped Johnny were trailing me in their car. If it wasn't for Two-Bit I'd probably be dead."  
  
"What did Two-Bit do?"  
  
"He was in his car and he saw me and brought me to his house."  
  
She saw that look in her mother's eyes again.  
  
"What happened?" her mother asked.  
  
Taylor rolled her eyes, "Nothing! Have you listened to a word I've said? I stayed there for the night; then I came here. Which I can see was a big mistake," she added. She turned on her heel but her mother grabbed her arm.  
  
"Taylor please, don't leave again. Just talk to your father."  
  
"Why?" she asked bluntly, "It won't help."  
  
"For God sakes Taylor, you're just as stubborn as he is."  
  
"Don't you ever compare me to him!" she hissed, "I never want to be called his daughter again."  
  
Her mother's voice suddenly became sharp and angry.  
  
"Don't you ever say such a thing. Go talk to your father and be grateful I don't drag you in there by your hair."  
  
"Go ahead and try," Taylor warned, her eyes burning. She walked past her mother and into her house. Her father walked in from the kitchen. He gestured for her to sit down.  
  
"No. I won't be staying long," she said.  
  
"Taylor I don't want to hear such things. You need to face the facts."  
  
"No you do!" she screamed suddenly, "You want the facts? I'll give you the facts. One fact is that I am not a whore, and I don't really care what you think. Another is that you know nothing about me, you never did."  
  
Her father opened his mouth to say something but Taylor cut him off.  
  
"You want more? Fine. The most important fact is that I won't stay here anymore. And you can't keep me here."  
  
Her father's eyes burned with the same hatred Taylor's held. He stood up and walked over to her until his face was an inch away from hers.  
  
"You will not walk out that door again," he told her, "You have no right to tell us what to do. I will not tolerate it!"  
  
"I don't really care," she hissed back at him, "You can't stop me. No one can, and you need to get over yourself and accept the fact that you don't control me."  
  
Taylor saw his eyes burn even more, and she felt a spark of fear, but she wasn't going to back down now.  
  
"You will take back everything you have said and go straight to your room."  
  
"No, I won't."  
  
That was the last straw for him. He grabbed Taylor by the shoulders and threw her backwards. She sprawled onto the floor. Her mother screamed. He advanced on her.  
  
"How dare you speak to me that way!" he raised a hand to hit her but she was not helpless. She lashed out with her legs, sending a hard blow to his stomach. The diversion was all she needed to get up and move away from him. With one hand he clutched his stomach, with the other he grabbed her wrist.  
  
"Let go!" she shrieked. But he didn't, Taylor felt the blow connect as he slapped her across the face. She crumpled to the ground, holding her left cheek. He towered over her, and she awaited another blow. She raised her arm in front of her face to shield herself, but she did not cry. She would not give him that satisfaction. But nothing came. She looked up and her mother was standing in front of her.  
  
"George, stop this. She's only a child,"  
  
"No she's not," he fumed, "As she reminded me. She can take care of herself."  
  
For once, Taylor didn't care that they were talking as if she wasn't there. She was busy cursing herself for coming back.  
  
"Leave her alone George."  
  
"Get out of my way!" he yelled, shoving her away. Taylor scrambled back. She got up and ran for the door but he grabbed her arm again. She was able to twist away but not before he hit her again. She threw the door open and ran out. She could hear him yelling at her but he didn't chase her.  
  
When she was finally far enough away, she slowed down to a walk. Where she was going she had no idea, but this time, she would not go back home.  
  
"Taylor?" a voice said. She jumped.  
  
"It's okay, it's just me," Soda walked out from the trees, and Taylor realized she was near the park. She turned her back to him so he couldn't see her face.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing, I'm just taking a walk."  
  
"Turn around."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I like to see a person's face when I talk to them."  
  
Slowly she did, and she saw Soda's eyes widen.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Taylor said nothing.  
  
"You went home didn't you?" how did he always know?  
  
She looked at the ground. Suddenly Soda exploded.  
  
"Taylor how could you do something so stupid!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You could have gotten really hurt. Why did you do that?"  
  
"I don't know," she said quietly.  
  
"Taylor I can't believe you would put yourself in that position."  
  
"Look I'm sorry okay? It won't happen again. I'm never going back."  
  
Soda's voice softened, "What happened?"  
  
"I went home and he yelled at me so I yelled back and then he hit me."  
  
"Come back to my house. Your eye is starting to swell."  
  
"Great," she said sarcastically.  
  
  
  
*Please Review* 


	12. parties

Hey! I'm really sorry it took me so long to get this story up. I've had the worst writer's block and it only seems to go away at 11 o'clock at night. To compensate, I made this chapter pretty long, and I should have the next one up very soon. Thanks for continuing to read this!  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Taylor didn't go back home. She began living at Two-Bit's, the Curtis', Alyssa's, anywhere she could. The only time she went home was a few days after, when she knew her parents were both working. She snuck up to her room, and packed away as much of her stuff as she could. Then, with a quick glance back at the things she'd been forced to leave behind, she left the house, and did not look back. What surprised Taylor the most was that they never tried to call and see if she was okay. Soda had talked to her about that.  
  
"Does it bother you that they don't call?" he had asked.  
  
"No. I don't want to talk to them anyway," she said coldly.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
Why did Soda have that ability to see through every lie?  
  
"I guess it does in a way. I don't want to bother with them, but by them not calling, I know that they don't care what happens to me."  
  
"I know that hurts. Lots of people feel what you feel. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Look at Johnny, his father beats him with a 2 by 4 and he still loves the old man. He still goes back"  
  
"He shouldn't. No one should have to live like that."  
  
"I know. Johnny knows that too. And as much as he says he doesn't care about his parents, he does. He's hoping that one day they'll just look at him and tell him that they love him."  
  
"It's something to hold onto, even if it won't happen. I think it's the same with me. Even though they're wrong and won't admit it, they did raise me. I feel like my family is falling apart. First Travis, he's still in jail, now this. What did I do wrong?"  
  
Soda put his hand on her shoulder, "Nothing. This has nothing to do with you. It's not right for your parents to leave their son in a New York City jail, or to kick out their daughter, without proof that she did anything wrong. But that is what makes them trash, not you," He put his arm around her, Taylor was glad that someone was there to comfort her, "Don't you ever think that you did something wrong. You're one of the strongest people I know. Everyone deals with their problems differently. Dally turned mean and hard, Johnny keeps hoping that it will change, Two-Bit makes a joke out of everything, Darry tries to pretend everything's okay. Some people can't talk about their problems, you can. And that is what rises you above other people who hide it."  
  
It suddenly dawned on Taylor that Soda had just mentioned how most people he was close to dealt with their problems. And she was sure that Soda would try to help each of them. Was that Soda's problem? Was he too busy trying to help others that he pushed his own problems aside?  
  
"Taylor, you look like you're gonna fall asleep."  
  
Taylor felt someone poking her arm, breaking into her thoughts; she looked over at Alyssa, who was sitting next to her in Math class.  
  
"What?"  
  
Alyssa rolled her eyes, "Taylor Ms. Jacobs is going to beat you if you fall asleep, trust me, I know," she said, flashing a smile.  
  
"Oops. Sorry Alyssa, I was spacing out."  
  
"Obviously, hey are we still on for tonight?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Taylor how could you forget? I'm having a party tonight, I was gonna introduce you to my boyfriend Matt's best friend. I was going to set you two up."  
  
"Oh. Sorry Alyssa, my brain just needed a second to come back to planet Earth. I remember."  
  
"So are Soda and the other's coming?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe. I'll ask if you want."  
  
"Okay, you know, I just want to make it big. My parents went out for the weekend so I figure it's the perfect time for a party."  
  
"Yeah. I know it's pointless to ask but did your parents say it was okay to have the party?"  
  
"Yup, it was pointless to ask."  
  
"I thought so. What time should I tell the guys to be there?"  
  
"Around 10. I need time to set up and I'm hoping the party will last into the morning."  
  
"Okay. I'll be there at 9 to help set up."  
  
"Thanks Taylor."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Taylor invited Two-Bit and Steve at school, and headed to the DX with Steve after school to tell Soda.  
  
"Hey Sodapop!" Steve greeted as he walked in.  
  
"Hey Steve, Hey Taylor," Soda greeted, pushing through a crowd of girls to meet them.  
  
"Hey Soda, Alyssa's having a party tonight. You wanna stop by with Sandy?" Taylor asked.  
  
"Sure. You going Steve?" Soda asked.  
  
"Definitely. Evie's been bugging me to take her out but I'm broke. This will get her to stop complaining," Steve said.  
  
"Alyssa said to come at 10. It should be cool, she's really excited about it," Taylor told them.  
  
"Well, if Steve will help me put this car back together, I can get home early," Soda said, handing Steve a part. Taylor left them to finish work, and headed back to the Curtis' to get ready. At 8:30 she left and went to Alyssa's.  
  
"Hey Taylor!" Alyssa called, as she saw her walk up.  
  
"Hey Alyssa, what do I have to do now?"  
  
"Well, we need to move the couches back, put out the food, and make sure the bedrooms are securely locked."  
  
"Okay, that shouldn't take too long."  
  
They weren't thinking that after a while.  
  
"Alyssa, why won't your couch move?"  
  
"I think it's caught on something."  
  
"There's nothing there but carpet!"  
  
"Don't yell at me!"  
  
Taylor stopped pushing the couch and wiped her forehead.  
  
"You know, maybe your parents cemented the couch so you couldn't have a party" she suggested. Alyssa tossed her strawberry blonde hair, a habit she had when she was annoyed.  
  
"I guess we can leave it here. " She kicked the couch as if that would make it move, but all that she got out of that was a big pain in her toe. She cursed out the couch and clutched her throbbing toe.  
  
"That worked Alyssa," Taylor said sarcastically.  
  
The doorbell rang. Alyssa's hair slapped Taylor in the face as she whirled around, cursing again.  
  
"Damn! People shouldn't be here yet." Taylor followed Alyssa as she went to open the door.  
  
"You ladies need help?" With a grin, Two-Bit walked in.  
  
"Oh are you Mr. Big-tuff-guy?" Taylor asked, smiling.  
  
"That's me," Two-Bit said, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"I'm glad you're here Two-Bit. We can't move this couch," Alyssa said, still holding her toe.  
  
"Not a problem, give me a hand and we'll have the place set."  
  
"Okay, when Two-Bit is the one who knows what he's doing, I begin to get worried," Taylor told Alyssa. She nodded in agreement.  
  
"So what are you doing here Two-Bit?" Alyssa asked, pushing the couch.  
  
"Well, I'd normally be picking up my date, but at the moment I don't have one so I figured I'd come early and help you girls."  
  
"You don't think us girls could take care of it?" Taylor asked, trying to sound angry. It wasn't working.  
  
"Nah. I knew you could Taylor. I'm not sure about Alyssa though. She's a weakling," he smiled at Alyssa. She punched his arm. After some more furniture moving they were set, and not too long after, people started coming.  
  
"Taylor get over here!" Alyssa called, grabbing her arm, "I want you to meet Chris."  
  
Alyssa led her over to a tall boy with brown hair, and a slightly shorter boy with sandy blond hair. The tall one was Alyssa's boyfriend, Matt. Taylor figured that the other was Matt's friend Chris.  
  
"Chris, this is my friend Taylor. Taylor this is Chris, Matt's friend."  
  
The sandy haired boy smiled at her but seemed too shy to say hi.  
  
"Hey," Taylor said, hoping that if she talked, maybe he would.  
  
"Hi," he said quietly.  
  
Alyssa went over to Matt and put her arms around him. Taylor felt uncomfortable, with Alyssa and Matt all together and she and Chris just kinda standing there.  
  
"Taylor!" she turned around to see who called her name. She saw Soda walk up.  
  
"Hey Alyssa, Matt, Chris." He greeted. They all said hi.  
  
"So, having a good time?" Soda asked Taylor.  
  
"Yeah. Great party," the truth was, Taylor wasn't happy. She was there for Alyssa but she really wasn't having much fun. She really wasn't a party person.  
  
"Soda! There you are!" Taylor saw Sandy walk up.  
  
"Hey Taylor!" she greeted sweetly.  
  
"Hey Sandy, I haven't seen you in a while."  
  
"Yeah. Hey can I talk to you?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Taylor followed Sandy off into a corner.  
  
"What is it?" Taylor asked.  
  
"I was just curious, do you like Sodapop?"  
  
"Yeah, he's a good friend."  
  
"No, that's not what I mean. Would you go out with him?"  
  
"No. He's your boyfriend."  
  
"So? Lots of girls try to steal him from me."  
  
"But they won't. Soda really likes you. I know that."  
  
"So you don't like him?"  
  
"Not that way."  
  
"Okay, I was just wondering because you hang around him a lot."  
  
"Like I said before, he's my friend."  
  
"Okay. I was just curious, that's all."  
  
Taylor watched Sandy walk of and she wasn't sure what to think of her. She hated when people accused her falsely but she had reason for that. It was just a problem she needed to get over.  
  
  
  
*Please Review* 


	13. problems

Hey, thanks to those who've reviewed my story, I'm glad you like it. This story will be coming to an end very soon because I'm running out of ideas but I have tons for my sequel to this story, which takes place after the official "book". If you have ideas, please please please let me know!  
  
Chapter 13  
  
  
  
Taylor went back over to Alyssa, Matt, and Chris. Alyssa pulled her aside.  
  
"What'd she want?" she whispered in Taylor's ear.  
  
"I'll tell you later," Taylor said, knowing that Matt and Chris might be able to hear them.  
  
"Well, Matt why don't we leave those two alone to get to know each other?" Alyssa suggested, taking Matt's hand.  
  
"Sure," replied Matt. They headed off into the crowd, leaving Chris and Taylor standing there; feeling like fools.  
  
"You wanna go outside?" Chris asked, "It's kinda crowded in here."  
  
"Sure, that'd be nice." They pushed there way through the crowd and walked outside. Chris sat on the railing of the porch, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one up.  
  
"Do you mind?" he asked.  
  
"No, doesn't bother me," she replied. They sat there for a few minutes, listening to the quiet chirping of the crickets.  
  
"You're really nice you know," Chris said after a while.  
  
"Thanks," she wasn't sure what to say.  
  
"Matt was right, I do like you,"  
  
Taylor resisted to urge to say, 'like me? You don't even know me, we've said about 3 sentences to each other'.  
  
"Do you like me?" he asked.  
  
"You're nice," Taylor said, it wasn't a lie; he was nice. Chris flicked away his cigarette and hopped off the railing.  
  
"I think we'd be a great couple," he said, walking towards her. She didn't say anything; he was making her feel uncomfortable. All she wanted was to go back inside.  
  
"Why don't you say anything?" he asked.  
  
"I don't normally talk a lot," she said quietly.  
  
"That's something else I like about you."  
  
Taylor turned to walk back inside but he grabbed her arm.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Back inside, I'm getting cold."  
  
He pulled her into him, putting his arms around her. He smelled of alcohol and cigarette smoke. She tried to push him away.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just gonna warm you up a little."  
  
"Let go," she said slowly.  
  
"No, you like this."  
  
"No I don't, let go of me."  
  
But he didn't let go. Instead, he kissed her. That was more than she could stand. With a burst of strength she knocked him away. She pushed him up against the house and brought her knee up hard between his legs. He let out a strangled groan.  
  
"How high do you want to sing?" she snapped.  
  
"Let go," he gasped, still in pain.  
  
"Make me, I'll teach you how to treat a lady" she hissed. The door opened and Taylor saw Two-Bit standing in the doorway. She brought her knee away from Chris and gave him a final shove before following Two-Bit inside.  
  
"Ouch. I'm real glad I'm not him," Two-Bit commented.  
  
"Just goes to show, don't make me mad."  
  
"I saw you two out there, I was just about to come out but then you took care of him."  
  
Taylor pushed her hair behind her ears, "He made me mad okay?"  
  
"Hey, I'm not arguing. He learned a valuable lesson: 'treat a girl nice or die'" he said in his most adult-like voice.  
  
"And that's the truth. Who knew that living in New York would pay off?"  
  
"Well there's Alyssa and Matt. You should probably tell them what happened."  
  
"Okay fine. I'll see you later."  
  
"Okay ninja girl." Two-Bit said, grinning.  
  
Taylor walked over to Alyssa and Matt.  
  
"Hey Taylor, where's Chris?" Alyssa asked.  
  
"Outside."  
  
"Did something happen?" Matt asked.  
  
"Yeah. He was being a pain in the ass so I took care of him."  
  
Alyssa let out her breath in a hiss. She knew that Taylor had beaten him up.  
  
"Um Matt? Would you excuse me a second?" Alyssa asked.  
  
"Sure," Matt said, walking off. Apparently he was too drunk to realize his friend was still outside.  
  
"What the hell did you do?" Alyssa asked.  
  
"The guy was hitting on me," Taylor said simply.  
  
"That was the point!"  
  
"It wasn't for me. I didn't even like him."  
  
"What did he do?"  
  
"Kissed me."  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"Why are you arguing with me?"  
  
"Because I'm gonna get it from Matt now! My best friend beating up his best friend, it's not going to work very well."  
  
"Then maybe you shouldn't have introduced us in the first place. I can find my own man. Right now, I don't even want one."  
  
"Fine. I'm not going to argue with you. I have to talk to Matt." Alyssa said, storming off. Taylor turned away, letting out an exasperated breath. Two-Bit walked up to her.  
  
"So what happened?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know. Alyssa's just being a pain."  
  
"Yeah. Well ninja girl, we can all be pains at one point."  
  
"If you call me ninja girl again I'm gonna kill you."  
  
"Okay, I won't call you ninja girl again."  
  
"You just did."  
  
Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow, "No I didn't"  
  
"Yes you did."  
  
"Did not."  
  
"Did too." Taylor couldn't help but laugh. Two-Bit was the perfect person to cheer you up when you were upset about something.  
  
Taylor hung around the party for a little while, talking with a few of her friends. Most of them were drunk so she didn't talk to them very long. Eventually she decided to find Alyssa and talk to her. She checked most of the rooms downstairs and she wasn't there. She went upstairs and saw someone leaning over the toilet in the bathroom. She figured it was someone who was drunk, but when she got closer she saw that it was Alyssa, she was licking a piece of paper.  
  
"Alyssa?"  
  
Alyssa whirled around nervously; then saw it was Taylor and relaxed.  
  
"Hey," she said.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Alyssa stood up and pushed her hair back, "Nothing," she said, "I was feeling kinda sick."  
  
"Have you been drinking?"  
  
"Yeah, I had a few beers. Don't worry about it, I'm fine," but as Alyssa walked past Taylor, she stumbled and fell against the wall. Taylor grabbed her arm to support her.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm just a little lightheaded."  
  
Taylor didn't know why but she had an ominous feeling that Alyssa wasn't telling her something. Alyssa headed downstairs, holding tight to the railing. Taylor went into the bathroom and picked up the piece of paper. Suddenly she was filled with dread.  
  
"Acid!" she breathed.  
  
*Please Review* 


	14. memories

Thank you for sticking with me through this story! I know that last chapter was really confusing but hopefully this will clear it up.  
  
Oh I forgot to say that Chris and Matt were mine, but I figured you knew that.  
  
Chapter 14  
  
  
  
Taylor raced down the stairs after Alyssa, her mind racing. What was Alyssa doing? She could really hurt herself, why? The question kept flashing through Taylor's mind.  
  
"Alyssa!" she called, spotting her friend. Alyssa turned and walked back to her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Can I talk to you?"  
  
"Yeah, come into the kitchen."  
  
They walked through the crowd and into the quiet kitchen. Alyssa sat down at the table but Taylor remained standing.  
  
"Alyssa, what are you doing?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean why are you using acid?"  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
Taylor had to use all her strength not to hit Alyssa, "How could I not! Alyssa why are you doing this?"  
  
Alyssa looked stunned, "I don't know, it's just…"  
  
"Well tell me then. Why are you hurting yourself?"  
  
"I'm not hurting myself! I'm just trying to have a good time."  
  
"Have a good time! Alyssa-"  
  
"Look, just because you don't like it doesn't mean I'm gonna stop! Why are you bothering me about this, it's my life. I can do what I want."  
  
"I'm your friend Alyssa, I'm trying to stop you from doing something that could kill you."  
  
"Why does it matter?"  
  
"Why does it matter?" Taylor repeated, "Alyssa it's your life!"  
  
"And what's so great about it anyway?"  
  
Taylor stopped. She finally realized, "Alyssa, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing! Look I'm just not happy okay?"  
  
"Why? Did something happen?"  
  
"No. I just… never mind."  
  
"Alyssa tell me."  
  
"NO!" She screamed, "It doesn't matter, you wouldn't care. No one does."  
  
"I care Alyssa!"  
  
Just then, Soda walked into the kitchen  
  
"What's going on?" he asked, "I heard yelling."  
  
"Nothing happened. We just got into a fight that's all. I'm going back to the party," Alyssa said, heading for the door.  
  
"Alyssa wait," Taylor started but Alyssa had walked out.  
  
"What happened?" Soda asked. Taylor paused; obviously Alyssa didn't want anyone to know.  
  
"Nothing, we just got into a fight about something. Don't worry about it okay?"  
  
"Okay, "Soda said hesitantly, "But if something's wrong let me know okay?"  
  
"Alright," Taylor lied. The lie made her feel worse than she already felt.  
  
Taylor left soon after that, she just needed to take a walk and think. She was positive that something happened to Alyssa that made her so upset; she just didn't know what it was. Why was she doing this? How could she be so upset that she was doing drugs? Taylor never thought Alyssa was like that. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the car trailing behind her until it was too late. She stopped when she saw four guys stumble out of the car. Strangely, she wasn't afraid, if anything she was angry that they were wasting her time.  
  
"Hey cutie, what are you doing out so late?" one of them asked.  
  
"Why do you care?" she shot back, she wasn't going to show any fear.  
  
"Don't be stuck up sweet thing. Come on, we'll take you home."  
  
"I live nearby, I don't need a ride."  
  
"Why not? Come on, it'll be fun," another spoke up.  
  
Taylor turned to walk away but one of them grabbed her arm.  
  
"Let go," she hissed.  
  
"Come on, just come with us."  
  
Taylor tried to jerk away, "Let go," she repeated. The other three guys surrounded her, and she was starting to be afraid.  
  
"I'm only asking one more time," the one holding her arm said, "Come with us."  
  
Instead of answering, Taylor spit in his face. One of the guys rushed forward and threw her backwards, into the dirt. She screamed and the same guy that pushed her back put his hand over her mouth.  
  
"Let her go," a voice said. Taylor tried to jerk her head around but one guy was holding her down.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" one of them asked.  
  
"Doesn't matter, leave her alone."  
  
"And if we don't?"  
  
Taylor saw the guy that asked the question suddenly fly backwards, hit by a punch. The guys holding her let go and went after her rescuer. She flew to her feet and punched one of the guys across his head; he sprawled forward. Soon the four guys ran away. Taylor looked at the person left, who was slumped over holding his stomach.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, just took a punch there."  
  
"Thanks for helping me."  
  
"No problem," the guy straightened up and Taylor almost dropped her jaw. It was Dallas. He seemed to notice her shock.  
  
"What?"  
  
"N-Nothing, I just… never mind."  
  
Taylor couldn't believe it; Dallas had to know how much she hated him for what he did to Travis. Why would he help her? Why would he care?  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"Heading home, or wherever. You okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks."  
  
"Want me to walk you home?"  
  
"No. I'm fine, I'll just go back to the Curtis'"  
  
"Okay, see you."  
  
"Bye."  
  
As he walked away, Taylor stood there, puzzled. She knew he couldn't forget. Why did he help her? Soda's soft words came into her head.  
  
'He's trying to change'  
  
Why was Soda always right? She started walking, still trying to figure out what was going on. As she thought, she remembered the incident when she had gone after him.  
  
It was late at night, she still wasn't sure how she had found him, but she did. He was with his gang, she remembered her fear as she approached, but she pushed it aside, thinking of her brother. Her heart was beating as she approached, warning her.  
  
'Who're you?' Dallas asked.  
  
Every part of her was screaming to get away but she had to stay.  
  
'The sister of the kid you put in jail,' she responded, her voice clear. One of the gang leaned over to Dally.  
  
'You want us to take care of her?' he asked. Dallas shook his head.  
  
'Nah, I'll handle it.' He flicked away a cigarette and walked over to her.  
  
'What do you want?' he asked coldly.  
  
Taylor lifted her chin, 'I just want to tell you that you are a truly heartless person who doesn't care what he does to people.' She couldn't think of anything bad enough to call him. She trembled with rage. Dallas smiled.  
  
'Is that it?'  
  
'Do you have any idea what you've done?' she cried.  
  
'What?' he asked, obviously not caring.  
  
She resisted the urge to hit him, 'My younger brother is in jail because of you!'  
  
'Sorry,' he said sarcastically.  
  
She turned away and started to walk away, trying not to cry. She stopped and turned back.  
  
'Don't think you can get away with this Dallas Whinston. I'll remember you, and I'll never forgive you.' And with that she turned and walked away.  
  
Taylor was jerked back into the present by the door of the Curtis' opening. She saw Ponyboy standing in the doorway.  
  
"Hey, what's going on?" he asked as she walked up.  
  
"Hey Pony. Nothing, I just came home early."  
  
"Where's Sodapop?"  
  
"He's still at the party."  
  
"Why's your shirt ripped?" Pony pointed to a small rip near her shoulder.  
  
She examined it, "Oh, it must have been when those guys were bothering me."  
  
"What guys?"  
  
"Never mind, it's not a problem. Go inside, I'm getting cold."  
  
They went inside and Taylor flopped onto the couch.  
  
"Are you okay?" Pony asked, sitting down next to her.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine. What did you do tonight?"  
  
"I saw a movie with Johnny."  
  
"That's cool. Probably had a better time than I did."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Long story."  
  
"I got time."  
  
Taylor couldn't help but smile; Pony was so much like Sodapop. But still, he was still a kid. Even though he had recently turned 14, Taylor felt protective of him. Like an older sister.  
  
"Don't worry about it Ponyboy. I'll be fine." She said, and she meant it.  
  
*Please Review* 


	15. Confrontation

Okay this chapter is really short and I know it's taking me a while to update, but I'm going through lots of writer's block. It may take a while for my next chapter to get up.  
  
  
  
Chapter 15  
  
  
  
It took Taylor a while to calm down, to stop worrying about Alyssa. Every time she would try to talk to Alyssa, she would just change the subject abruptly. Taylor knew in her heart that what Alyssa was doing was wrong, but there was nothing she could do. And besides, she had other things to worry about.  
  
"I'm never gonna get this right!" Pony said, flinging his pencil across the room.  
  
Taylor came in through the kitchen and examined the paper Pony was leaning over, his math homework.  
  
"Well there's the problem," she said, pointing, "Just change the fraction to a decimal."  
  
"What's the difference?" Soda asked from the couch.  
  
Taylor threw him an annoyed look, "Shut up."  
  
Soda pretended to look hurt, "Ok."  
  
Taylor picked up the pencil Pony had thrown and threw it at Soda. He ducked it, then picked up a pillow from the couch and chucked it at her. It hit her in the back of the head.  
  
"Hey!" she glanced at Ponyboy and he nodded. Together they raced toward Soda and leaped on him, wrestling him to the ground.  
  
"What's going on?" Darry asked from the other room. He walked in just in time to see them knock over the coffee table.  
  
"Oh that's it." He said, diving in. Taylor tugged at Soda's hair, as he tried to grab her arms. Pony leaped onto Darry's back, and Darry flipped him over. The four erupted in laughter as they sprawled out onto the ground. Taylor shook her head, clutching her side. This was what her life should be like; she shouldn't have to be worrying about the things she was worrying about. Why did Alyssa have to do this, why did Taylor have to worry so much about her? With a sigh, Taylor stood up and went into the kitchen. She leaned against the sink, staring out the window.  
  
"Taylor?"  
  
She jumped, not realizing that Soda had followed her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"yeah, just thinking."  
  
"About what?"  
  
Taylor continued to stare out the window, not responding. Soda walked up next to her.  
  
"You've gotta stop beating yourself up about Alyssa. It's not your fault."  
  
Taylor shook her head, "I don't care. If she wants to ruin her life, fine by me."  
  
Soda put his hand on her shoulder, "You do care, why else would you be like this?"  
  
She pulled away from him, "I don't care! And apparently she doesn't either."  
  
Soda wasn't sure what to do; he couldn't get her to listen. Taylor tried to walk out of the kitchen but he grabbed her by the shoulders.  
  
"Let go!"  
  
Soda looked into her eyes, "Taylor, what's going on? Why are you being like this?"  
  
"Like what?" she snapped.  
  
"You need to calm down, take a breath. What is it?"  
  
Taylor stopped trying to pull away, "Nothing, I just…" she slumped into a chair.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Taylor took a deep breath, trying to piece it all together.  
  
"I don't know what to do, why is she doing this?"  
  
"You can't stop her, it's not your fault."  
  
"I don't care! It still feels like it."  
  
Soda looked into his clasped hands, trying to decide what to do.  
  
"Do you want me to talk to her?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Soda turned to face her, "I can try to talk to her, maybe I can find out what's wrong."  
  
Taylor shook her head, "She won't talk to you; she doesn't like talking to people."  
  
Soda smiled, "I know. She doesn't like telling people what she's thinking or feeling. A lot like someone else I know."  
  
She glanced at him, "Who?" when he didn't say anything, she hit him in the arm, "You're making fun of me!"  
  
Soda held up his hands in a gesture of peace, "Don't hit me again."  
  
She rolled her eyes, "You can try talking to her but I doubt it will do anything."  
  
Soda touched her arm briefly before getting up and heading towards the doorway, "It's worth a try," he said.  
  
She followed him outside, where he stopped and looked back at her.  
  
"Listen, don't take things so personal, not everything is your fault."  
  
"Not everything?"  
  
"Well most of the time it is your fault."  
  
She threw his jacket at him, "Just find out what's wrong."  
  
"You wanna come?"  
  
"Nah. She won't say anything if I'm there. She's really mad at me now."  
  
"I'll be back soon."  
  
"Thanks," she said as Soda began to walk away, "Hey Soda?"  
  
He stopped, "Yeah?"  
  
"I… never mind. Good luck."  
  
He paused for a moment, and their eyes met. She quickly looked down at the ground, and Soda walked off. Taylor sighed and sat down on the porch. She lit up a cigarette and watched the stars for a little bit, trying to get away from her life. She didn't even hear the door open.  
  
"Where'd Sodapop go?" It was Ponyboy.  
  
She looked back at him, "He went to go talk to someone. He'll be back soon."  
  
"Is something going on?" Pony asked, sitting next to her.  
  
Taylor smiled, "You're just like your brother, you always have to know everything."  
  
"Not true!" Pony protested, "So what's the secret?"  
  
Taylor laughed, something she was surprised she could do.  
  
"Nothing Pony. How's your math homework going?"  
  
"Okay, Darry made me finish it before I could come out." He lit up a cigarette.  
  
"He just wants to make sure you use you brains before you come out here and smoke."  
  
"You don't like me smoking?"  
  
"No. You're 14, I don't like you ruining your lungs and stuff."  
  
"You're smoking."  
  
Taylor threw her cigarette away, "Happy? Never mind, I'm just being paranoid."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Pony smiled and ground his cigarette under his heel. He stood up and went back inside. Taylor leaned back and watched the stars, not wanting to go inside. She waited for an hour, lost in thought. Slipping in and out of sleep, she heard footsteps approach. She leaned up and saw that it was Soda. She leaped to her feet and ran out to him. He looked pale, as if he had seen something horrible.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Soda's voice shook, "It's Alyssa," he said quietly, "She's dead."  
  
*Please review* 


	16. Second Chance

Hey to everyone who still reads this stupid story. Well just letting you know that this is the last chapter. It's short but sweet, this story has dragged on too long. If enough of you want it, I'm considering posting my other story about Taylor and the Outsiders on here too. It's kinda like a sequel to this one, but sticks more to the characters S.E. Hinton came up with, I don't have a lot of my own (which I think is a good thing). Well here's the last chapter to A New Life to Live  
  
It was four weeks after Alyssa's funeral before Taylor began to speak again. As soon as the funeral was over she had returned to the Curtis' and barricaded herself in Soda's room. She knew it was wrong, that Pony and Soda would not make her come out, that they would sleep in the living room but she didn't care. Soda would knock softly then come in; she didn't lock the door. He would offer her food that she'd never accept. He would try to talk to her but she would never listen. Then, one day, Dallas came in. She looked at him as he entered, surprised.  
  
"Hey." He said softly. Surprised, she spoke, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Soda told me you wouldn't talk to anyone or eat anything or even move anymore so he asked me to try and help."  
  
"Really?" "Don't sound so surprised."  
  
"Sorry. It's just. you know, things aren't exactly great between us."  
  
"Yeah." Taylor noticed his blunt reply and thought she heard a slight regret in his voice.  
  
"You ready to talk?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know," she said but she really did want to talk to him. For the first time in her life she wanted to hear his voice. And she couldn't figure out why.  
  
"Listen, I heard about Alyssa," he said.  
  
"Then you know she died from some stupid drug problem."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Why does this not affect you?" Taylor asked, sounding slightly sharp.  
  
"Because I've seen it before!" He said, matching her sharpness, "and I've learned to ignore it," he added softly.  
  
"I can't ignore it. She was my friend. And now she's gone."  
  
"Listen, I'm probably the worst possible person for talks like these but Soda asked me to try, so I will. I don't really know what to say, I don't really know how to comfort people." He gave a weak smile that lit his cold blue eyes slightly. It gave him a gentler appearance. And slowly, Taylor smiled too.  
  
"That's better," he said softly.  
  
"Thanks Dally." She stood up slowly to leave the room but Dally grabbed her hand.  
  
"Taylor, I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Your brother."  
  
Taylor paused for a moment. It was the first time he had brought it up.  
  
"Dally, Soda told me something that I'm trying my hardest to listen to. He said 'everyone deserves a second chance'. And, you've got yours. You're different Dally, I see it in your eyes. You're not like you were before."  
  
"Is that good?"  
  
"That's very good. You're an interesting person Dally, don't let anyone tell you differently."  
  
"Okay, I won't." Smiling, Taylor stepped out of the room. She walked through the hallway that seemed so different than before. She went into the living room and saw Soda sitting on the couch. He looked up at her and smiled.  
  
"Hey," she said.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Better than I was."  
  
Soda stood up, "Did it work?"  
  
"Did what work?" she asked, but knew the answer immediately, "Dally."  
  
Soda smiled, "Yeah. Well?"  
  
"Yes Soda, it worked. You were right, people do deserve a second chance."  
  
"So you two are okay now?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Are we okay?"  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
Soda looked embarrassed, "Never mind."  
  
"No, tell me."  
  
"Never mind. It's nothing."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Taylor looked at him again. She saw something different in his eyes. She couldn't place it but it was something important.  
  
"Hey Soda?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
He pulled her into him and hugged her, and at that moment there was no place she would have rather been.  
  
*Please Review, and please tell me if I should post the next story* 


End file.
